Solar technology presents a viable green source of energy as an alternative to fossil fuels. This is particularly the case for geographic areas that have a high amount of daylight and/or higher than average fuel costs, such as Hawaii.
An ongoing obstacle to the adoption of solar panels as a home energy solution remains the expense, particularly in the purchase of the components and the installation. A typical residential solar system, will include a number of solar panels connected by electrical cables to a junction box. The output of the junction box is then fed to load distribution center for internal use. Electrical cable between the solar panels and the junction box are cut to length, and spliced ends of the wires are connected to terminals using generally known methodologies familiar to the field of electricians.
A drawback of the above system is that the total maximum output of the panels must not exceed the capacity of the home's existing electrical service, in that having an output in excess of capacity can damage the system and/or present a safety hazard. However, different solar panels have different outputs and different homes have different capacities. The underlying calculations on the appropriate number of panels are generally known by electricians and professional solar panel installers, but are not typically known by a typical consumer. Many consumers are also not familiar with how to make safe electrical grade connections between components and/or lack the tools to do so. Jurisdictions thus often require professional installers to install solar panel systems to ensure safe and proper installation, which adds to the overall installation costs. In general, any wired in place solar or electrical system must be installed by a licensed electrical contractor.